1971 Datsun 240Z Coupe

From 1976 to 1980, Loren St. Lawrence raced this 1971 Datsun 240Z in SCCA C-Production, the Trans-American race series, and ICSCC. St. Lawrence was a middle school teacher and high school counselor by profession, whose positive influence on local racers during the 1970's was undeniable. Piloting this car, he became one of the most successful racing drivers to emerge out of the SCCA Northwest Pacific Region. The main sponsorship of the car was a famous Northwest restaurant chain, VIP's Restaurant.

Having made four prior SCCA Runoff appearances, St. Lawrence knew the car could be competitive. St. Lawrence tallied SCCA West Coast Championship runner-up titles in three consecutive years from 1977 to 1979. He stood 23 times on the podium in three years, 14 of which he finished 1st in SCCA C-Production, Trans-Am and ICSCC races. During this stretch, the well-recognized #39 VIP's Z car held many track records at Northwest race tracks such as Portland International Raceway, Westwood Motorsports Park and Seattle Raceway.

St. Lawrence's success paved the way for a trip to the 1978 SCCA Champion Spark Plug Road Racing Classic at Road Atlanta, where he would compete against the likes of Paul Newman, Jim Fitzgerald, Frank Leary, Logan Blackburn, and Dan Parkinson. Unfortunately, St. Lawrence ran out of luck that year, finishing a DNF due to a failed transmission after only two laps.

The car saw a fresh paint scheme for the 1979 season and continued to dominate the competition. St. Lawrence was invited to the SCCA Runoffs yet again, but could not attend due to scheduling conflicts.

In 1980, St. Lawrence sold the car to Gerald Macek of Santa Clara, CA. The car went on to become the first sponsored and prepared race car of Comptech Race Engines, more widely known for their later success in IMSA, Indy and building Honda Supercharged Engines.

Macek would bring it back to the Runoffs for the sixth time in 1982, where he finished 14th. After Macek sold the car, it was continuously raced in the ICSCC, winning GT2 Championships in 1984, 1985 (Frank McCabe) and 1987 (Peter Smith).